How to Make Sure Your App Makes Money
If you’re getting ready to launch an app, you are probably excited and passionate about your app’s mission. But regardless of whatever your app brings to the world, it’s still a huge necessity that it makes enough money for you and your team! Here are some of our need-to-know tips on how to ensure your app is a financial success.
Marketing Tricks
For the app store, presentation is essential. Screenshots for your app make a huge difference. The first three screenshots should highlight your app’s best and most exciting features!
Write a professional sales letter instead of a dry app description. Make it unique for each app if you have a big portfolio! Videos make a big difference, too. Make a video for each app and promote it as much as possible.
Try to get featured on your store with services such as AppShout! when launching. Burst companies like AppBrain‘s are a great way to reach the top, if you have the money to invest. The CPI (Cost Per Install) model seems to work best but if you’re not for the CPI model, take a look at AirBop.
Market Research
Take a look at the apps which are at the top of your niche. Take notes from their keywords and descriptions, but keep yours unique.
Check out Searchman SEO. Integrate analytics in your app, it’s the only way in which you’ll know how to improve.
Brand Awareness
Make a profile of your app on all major social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). Update them often, consistency is extremely important in retaining and growing your following.
Offline promotion doesn’t seem to work unless it’s geolocated. If you have the budget, have a hotspot promoting your app inside a high traffic location such as a mall. Contests and giveaways work in any form, both offline or online via websites, blogs or social media.
SEO Pays Off
Have as many backlinks to your app as possible, from as many quality sites as possible. Google Play’s app ranking system now takes into consideration how many Google Pluses your app has.
Monetizing your app
There are three concrete ways to monetize your app, but you can be creative in how you apply them.
- Sell at a fixed price
- Give it away for free and run ads in the app
- Sell unique things from inside the app, AKA in-app purchases
Alternatively, you could have a Pro version (no ads, more features) and a free version, but with ads. You can use the free version as a catalyst to boost sales. Have it run ads for users to switch to your Pro version, and list clearly all the advantages of having the Pro version. If you are going for this, take a look at these monetization schemes:
- Search Ads (e.g. StartApp)
- Usual Ad Networks (e.g. LeadBolt)
- CPM Networks (e.g AirPush)